Apr.20 (GMM) Carlos Sainz has been a positive addition to the Renault team. That is the view of team advisor and F1 legend Alain Prost, amid speculation the French team might try to retain Sainz for 2019. Renault signed the Spaniard for this year only, despite the fact that Red Bull could pull him back […]
Barrichello blocked from seeing Schumacher
Apr.20 (GMM) Rubens Barrichello says he was blocked from trying to see his old teammate Michael Schumacher. The pair were at Ferrari between 2000 and 2005, but in late 2013 Schumacher injured his brain in a skiing accident. “I tried to find a way to visit him, but they said to me ‘It will not […]
Haas ‘happy’ with current drivers – Steiner
Apr.19 (GMM) Haas boss Gunther Steiner has given a strong indication that Kevin Magnussen will stay in 2019. Many pundits believe the Dane has the upper hand over Romain Grosjean this year. Magnussen’s fixed contract runs out in 2018, but the American team Haas has an option to extend it for another season. “We do […]
Verstappen says he does not need psychologist
Apr.19 (GMM) Max Verstappen says he is putting the Chinese grand prix firmly in the past. The Dutchman has been slammed in the media ever since running into championship leader Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari in Shanghai last weekend. “It was not my best race, but I don’t have to think about it anymore,” he told Dutch […]
Hamilton ‘will stay at Mercedes’ – Lauda
Apr.19 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton will eventually sign a new deal to stay at Mercedes. That is the claim of F1 legend and Mercedes team chairman Niki Lauda, even though extended talks between the two sides have so far not succeeded. But Lauda told Auto Motor und Sport: “It’s just about the details. “Lewis will continue […]
F1 must continue to work on overtaking – Whiting
Apr.18 (GMM) F1 is pushing ahead with efforts to improve overtaking. After Australia, the lack of passing in formula one again became a hot topic. But then the races in Bahrain and China were substantially better. At the same time, it emerges that the strategy group this week discussed potential aerodynamic changes to the 2019 […]
McLaren preparing ‘B’ car for Spain
Apr.18 (GMM) McLaren has confirmed that it will have a substantially different car in Spain. After a tough start to the 2018 season despite the Honda era having ended, Spain’s Marca newspaper said the team may be preparing a ‘new chassis’ for the race in Barcelona next month. Team boss Eric Boullier now confirms to […]
Barrichello reveals brush with death
Apr.18 (GMM) Former Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello has revealed a scary brush with illness. In February, the 45-year-old was admitted to hospital after suffering from a severe headache. He has now appeared on Globo’s Conversa com Bial programme, where he showed a hefty scar on the side of his neck. The Brazilian said he had […]
Ferrari has most powerful engine – report
Apr.18 (GMM) Ferrari may now have the most powerful engine in formula one. For the whole of the ‘power unit’ era since 2014, Mercedes has clearly led the way and won every world championship. But Auto Motor und Sport claims that Ferrari has caught up in 2018. “GPS measurements show that in terms of engine […]
Raikkonen not treated fairly at Ferrari – press
Apr.18 (GMM) Leading Italian journalists have slammed Ferrari for continuing to run a blatant ‘number 2’ driver policy. Pino Allievi, the leading correspondent for La Gazzetta dello Sport, said it is obvious that so far in 2018, Ferrari is using Kimi Raikkonen as a mere pawn. “With the pitstop, Ferrari ‘used’ Raikkonen to slow down […]
Red Bull expects engine penalties in 2018
Apr.18 (GMM) Red Bull expects to take engine penalties later in 2018. Although winning in China, Daniel Ricciardo has also suffered reliability trouble so far this year and is already onto his second out of three ‘power units’. “We are sure that we will get penalties. We just have to make sure they happen on […]
Whiting rejects safety car controversy
Apr.17 (GMM) Charlie Whiting has denied the FIA has time to consider whether safety car deployments favour certain competitors over others. Comments made after China, in particular by Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, cast doubt on the decision to deploy the safety car, which because of the timing favoured Red Bull. F1 race director Whiting is quoted […]
Verstappen says China was ‘life lesson’
Apr.17 (GMM) Max Verstappen has committed to taking a step back amid a firestorm of criticism. F1 legend Niki Lauda questioned his “intelligence”, and even Verstappen’s father and mentor Jos said the ill-fated move on Sebastian Vettel in China was “clearly poor judgement”. Verstappen, 20, is renowned for his exciting and aggressive driving style, but […]
Hamilton and Mercedes ‘in crisis’ – Villeneuve
Apr.17 (GMM) Lewis Hamilton is “in crisis”. That is the alarming claim of outspoken 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve. He was speaking after China, where Hamilton and Mercedes’ quest for a win in 2018 fell flat for a third consecutive race. “Hamilton is in crisis and is losing points for the championship,” Villeneuve told Sky […]
Alonso ‘sad’ about McLaren situation
Apr.17 (GMM) Fernando Alonso has admitted that McLaren’s lack of performance in 2018 makes him “sad”. The Spaniard has been upbeat about the British team’s chances in the wake of the Honda split, but although improved, McLaren is still struggling now with Renault power. It has left some people wondering if Alonso does not now […]
Renault plans engine step for Canada – report
Apr.17 (GMM) Renault is preparing to take a step forward with its engine in the coming races. As well as its works team, the French manufacturer supplies engines to Red Bull and McLaren but is still lagging behind Mercedes and Ferrari. But Spain’s AS newspaper reports that a performance step is planned for the Canadian […]
Marko warns Wolff over Ricciardo move
Apr.17 (GMM) Mercedes should not get excited about signing up Daniel Ricciardo. That is the warning of Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko, as the international press gets excited about the future of the out-of-contract Australian Ricciardo. “Ferrari, take Ricciardo,” Luca Budel, writing for Italy’s Mediaset, said. “While Max is the potential phenomenon, it is Ricciardo […]
Hamilton ‘not in form’ in 2018 – Rosberg
Apr.16 (GMM) Valtteri Bottas has targeted the 2018 world championship, just as his high-profile teammate Lewis Hamilton begins to struggle. After failing to win in Australia and Bahrain, reigning world champion Hamilton’s season hit a low in China as both he and Mercedes struggled. “Both on my side but also as a team, we’ve been […]
Ricciardo should stay at Red Bull – Horner
Apr.16 (GMM) Christian Horner thinks Daniel Ricciardo should re-commit to Red Bull for the future. The Australian, who commandingly won in China, is out of contract at the end of the year and linked with potential moves to Mercedes or Ferrari. He said serious contract talks about 2019 haven’t started, but grinned that Shanghai – […]
Winning becoming harder for Mercedes – Horner
Apr.16 (GMM) Christian Horner thinks 2018 might finally be the end of Mercedes’ utter domination of F1 in the ‘power unit’ era. Since 2014, the silver team has had rivals, but only in China did some pundits like 1996 world champion Damon Hill actually sense the end of an era. “It’s like empires rising and […]